Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.
May 1, 2006
Dear Diary,
I HATE my mother with a burning vengeance more powerful than the forces of nature!
I was way past my curfew because of a stargazing expedition I was on with Jimmy, Libby, and Sheen. Carl, for some reason, wasn't able to make it—strep throat. That's one of the hugest epidemics of our whole middle school right now. Nick came down with a late season flu that spread to nearly everyone I knew. Jimmy had it a few days ago, and then I caught it from him when we were kissing the other night. Libby then caught it from me when we were working on a school project, and then it was passed onto Sheen…well, you get the picture.
But anyway, tonight was beyond romantic. Sheen and Libby were off in their own little corner smooching (they're not huge fans of the outdoors), while Jimmy and I were sitting on top of a large hill in the park that had an absolutely amazing view of the town. I was extremely excited because Jimmy wanted to show me one of my favorite, all-time constellations, Coma Berenices, or Berenice's Hair. I've always read about this in books or on the internet, but I've never been able to see it up close until that night.
The story behind this constellation is even more interesting. An astronomer named Tycho Brahe in the late 16th century referred this constellation to a classic story regarding the hair of Berenice, wife of King Ptolemy III of Egypt. The story involved the heroic return of the king from war and his loving wife cutting off her beautiful long tresses in his honor. They were given to Aphrodite as a gift and laid upon an altar in the Temple. The locks became missing from the altar upon which they were laid, when the court astronomer Conon of Samos saved the day by proclaiming that Aphrodite had accepted the hair as a gift and had placed the lovely tresses in the heavens next to Leo, the Lion.
This anecdote not only set the mood for viewing the constellation and the particular month it is featured, but set the mood for something more. Jimmy had brought his telescope with him so that he could get me an up-close view of the cluster of stars, especially since this constellation could be best viewed with one. He showed me how to set it up and set the approximate coordinates for where the stars would be located, and then let me look into the telescope. The sight was so beautiful…even though it wasn't as big as some of the other ones I've seen, I could truly understand why it was so special. I purposely wore my hair down for the occasion…something I rarely had done. I guess I wanted to feel as beautiful as Berenice, even though I never felt pretty. My mother, for one, never ever says that I am…and Jimmy rarely ever says it, even though sometimes his body language might.
As I was looking through the telescope, Jimmy would put his arms around me as he was showing me all of its features. He even showed me a few other constellations before we ended up sitting back down on the ground to cuddle. I loved cuddling—not only was it romantic, but it was always so…innocent. When Jimmy was holding me, he made me feel so safe…he made me feel wanted. That's all I'll ever need.
We talked a little about what we would do once school was out—he wants to take me and our other friends on another intergalactic voyage. I immediately agreed due to the fact that my mother was a pain in my backside on the one hand, and on the other, Retroville had little or nothing to do when it came to summertime activities—you can only visit the Candy Bar or the mall so many times before it gets boring. I need to get away for awhile.
We also started talking about our relationship—I think he wants to be my steady, but I'm not sure yet. He even told me he wants to spend a lot more time with me, especially this summer. I can't wait! That is, if we are able to spend any time at all after what happened with my mother. I'll explain that later.
My official thirteenth birthday is coming up in June, as well. I know, I know—in my last entry I sort-of lied a bit. I'm becoming even more envious about being a teenager. Jimmy already had his birthday a few months ago, and although he's had a few small growth spurts in the last year or so, his voice still hasn't changed yet. But then again, maybe I didn't want his voice to change…or for us to become older. But time makes you older, experience makes you wiser, and change is destined to happen, whether we want all these things to occur or not. I did know that I wanted to be with Jimmy, even though my future is very inevitable—he may turn out to be the one I want to be with, he may not. No matter what the circumstance, I want to spend as much time with my friends as possible so that I will always have the memories—something to look back on.
Anyhow, back to what happened. Jimmy and I were cuddling—he had his arm around me and we were really close to each other. He ran a hand through my hair and told me it felt like silk... That gave me the shivers. I knew Jimmy wasn't always that good at showing affection, much less an Einstein when it came to saying something romantic. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that no one had ever said that about my hair before, much less about my appearance. Jimmy's the only one that makes me feel pretty.
But then again, I have self-esteem issues. I've had them my whole life. Mom always tells me I'm not pretty enough, or smart enough. That's why she has me involved in so many martial arts classes and after school academic activities—she thinks I'll be able to lose weight and increase my intellectual capacity for knowledge. I'm just never good enough for her...no matter what I do I won't live up to her standards.
I think what caused me to lose track of time was the fact that Jimmy and I were in the moment as usual. He started kissing me after he complimented my hair…and just like the other night, we were making out again. I know I said it a few days ago, but one of my most favorite things about dating Jimmy was when we got to kiss…feeling his warm lips pressed against mine while holding me in his arms. And once my senses were filled with the taste of his kiss and the soft smelling cologne he sometimes wore, I couldn't—didn't—want to pull away. My curfew didn't mean anything to me then.
When we were finally able to pull away, he took me home in his hovercar the long way so we could cuddle some more…
How that all changed when Jimmy dropped me off inside my window—not only did she catch him kissing me goodnight, but she was waiting for me in my room! She went into a ten-minute rant about how I've spent more than my fair share of time with Jimmy. She still hates him with a passion—ever since the day he moved in 4 years ago she's hated him only because he's smarter than me. There's so many more redeeming qualities to him that she refuses to even notice!
I started to cry when she informed me that I had to break up with Jimmy, and when I asked her why, she ignored me, naturally, and went into lock-down mode. She's grounded me for a whole month—and for what! I was only 20 minutes late at the most, and I didn't even know I was late until after I came into my room to see my mother standing there. That was all it took. She regrets ignoring the fact that the neighbors were talking about us. She really regrets even attempting to tolerate our relationship.
I'm still crying as I write this part of my entry—my mother's been unfair in the past, but nothing like this. I didn't mean to be late. We were just having a little fun, and it was educational. And Jimmy cares about me—he would never do anything to hurt me.
I don't even know what I'm going to tell him tomorrow…
